Francois Raphael de Druyes La Salle
Francois Raphael de Druyes La Salle '''(1698 - Present) Is a servant in the household of the Empress of Grandelumiere. After spending a humble childhood, he moved to the city with his family, where he quickly set to work becoming a servant of great reputation and undying loyalty to all of his employers. After his employ under Madame la Comtesse, he joined the household of the Empress Marie Sophie IV, where he served until his death in 1758. Biography '''Birth and childhood Francois was born on the 31st of May, 1698, in the small village of Guyancourt, near Versailles. He was born to Nicolas Gerard de Druyes La Salle and his spouse, Philberte Garnetot de Druyes La Salle, who were delighted to have birthed another son. Nicolas was a butcher, and his wife a seamstress. Francois enjoyed a relativity comfortable childhood until the age of four, when his older brother Louis died of a fever. The death heavily impacted the family, and Francois too, was affected. He was often neglected for hours on end, and he soon learnt how to entertain and care for himself. At age seven, the family was blessed with another child, Jeanne. Unfortunately, after Philberte's fourth and final pregnancy, she, and her child, died. These untimely deaths caused Nicolas to withdraw into a state of deep depression, further neglecting the already emotionally unstable Francois. At aged eleven, The family moved to Paris, where Nicolas hoped to pursue in the education of his children. They rented,and eventually bought, a small shop on Voie de Levitique, and there they remain to this day. Adolesence At age twelve, Francois took an interest in domestic service, and was soon set along the path to his future career. He joined his father in the shop, and was soon skilled in the business of his father. At age fifteen, his father wed the scullery-maid of the nearby chateau de Montrouge, home to the young Madame la Comtesse. It was through Nicolas' second marriage that Francois was able to pursue his passion, and eventual career. Nicolas and his young bride, Guyonne, scraped together whatever money they could, and sent Francois off to the Academy of domestic service ''in Dijon. Beginning of service S'ervice under Madame la Comtesse''' After attending the school for five years, Francois, aged 20, returned home and applied to work for Madame La Comtesse. He was accepted in 1719, one year later. Francois served with great enthusiasm and cheerfully carried out his mundane and arduous chores. His vivacity soon caught the eye of the young Madame la Comtesse, who soon developed a respectful and neutral acquaintance with Francois. Eight years later, in 1727, Madame la Comtesse, aged 28, wed Joseph-Marie Henri, Marquis de Vesoul. Vesoul was part of the then influential and popular House Vizille. Because of Vesoul's prestigious house and his high rank and station, he was active at court, and took his young bride with him. As a result of this, Francois never saw Madame la Comtesse as much as he did before, and soon, the chateau was sold to pay off Vesoul's enormous debts. Francois feared that he would be dismissed, as many of his colleagues were, but he was not, quite the contrary. He was invited to accompany his mistress to the Imperial residence, le chateau d'Argenteuil. Francois graciously accepted, and thus began the next phase of his serving career. Service under the court When Francois and his employers arrived at Argenteuil in 1729, the Infanta, Maria Cristina d'Espagne, had arrived as La Dauphine de Grandelumiere ''which caused much excitement and anticipation. The excitement, however, didn't last, as seven years later, in 1736, Vesoul had committed several acts of debauchery, and was unable to maintain a full staff. Thus, Francois was dismissed, without his wife's knowing, of course, and continued his immoral and obscene acts. Francois, however, was never one to give up easily, and, happily applied for a position in the Argenteuil staff. '''1740: ''Annus horribilis' Succeeding the conclusion of the Prussian war in 1740, Francois returned from Fort Louis le Grand to Argenteuil. Soon after however, the first of the bad news arrived. His father, already old and weak, had died during a mass in Paris. Two months later, the shop on Voie de Levitique, was almost completely burnt to the ground, as well as almost 20 other shops. Three months after that incident, Vesoul died in the gardens of Argenteuil, and soon afterwards, Madame la Comtesse, Francois first employer, with whom, he shared a special relationship. Naturally, these deaths caused Francois distress and a great deal of depression, but his job as a servant demanded more and more of him, and soon, he was unable to keep up with his work, and seemed inadequate. Rumors about an affair between Francois and the late Comtesse fired up toward the end of 1740, and Francois himself was under fire concerning the true nature of Vesoul's untimely and mysterious death. All of these factors greatly weighed upon Francois, and he, unfortunately, never really recovered from this. Controversy and rumor seemed to follow everywhere he went. He was very nearly dismissed due to all the controversy surrounding him, if it hadn't been for the Empress, who silenced the rumors one day in front of the whole court, which stopped all the rumors altogether. From this experience, Francois gained an even stronger sense of loyalty towards the Empress, and soon, a love for her work and her charity. Later years '''The Death of the Empress' The death of the Empress in the winter of 1757 hit the Empire hard. But because of Francois' fondness and great respect toward the Empress, he too was heavily affected. He went into mourning, as was form, but suffered bouts of melancholy. This affected his ability to serve efficiently, but it was not noticed, as the courtiers were already occupied with their grieving. This melancholy would linger and continue to affect Francois until he died. Coping with melancholy Though his melancholy was heavy, he found great solace in the company and under the service of a particular courtier. She was the young and pretty Louise Marie Antoinette d'Anjou. Her kindness and tender nature was recorded in his journal: "Her Highnesse continues to amaze me everyday. Her naivety yet bountiful intelligence, her gentle disposition yet powerful command over a party is certainly what makes her a most desirable suitor and employer." Death Francois passed away peacefully in his sleep on the 16th of January, 1758. His death was mourned privately by many of his work companions, but relativity passed over by much of the court, which was natural. Francois' legacy would not be very well remembered by the court. But with his companions, Francois would be remembered as a loyal and hardworking friend.